Janus: Zombies Versus Dinosaurs, Book 2

The tide of zombies appears to be under control, thanks to the franken-beasts known as dinosaurs. However, one calm zombie shifts the tide. Soon they swell in like foaming water, buffeting against the frail walls men make. Pools of blood will flow, teeth with gnash, and not even dinosaurs will be able to stop this onslaught.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

The Dinosaur Lords: Dinosaur Lords, Book 1

A world made by the Eight Creators on which to play out their games of passion and power, Paradise is a sprawling, diverse, often brutal place. Men and women live on Paradise, as do dogs, cats, ferrets, goats, and horses. But dinosaurs predominate: wildlife, monsters, beasts of burden - and of war. Colossal plant eaters like Brachiosaurus; terrifying meat eaters like Allosaurus; and the most feared of all, Tyrannosaurus rex.

The Land: Founding: A LitRPG Saga: Chaos Seeds, Book 1

In The Land: Founding, the first volume of the award winning Chaos Seeds saga, demons and angels toy with the lives of unwitting humans. Gamers sign away their souls in unread contracts as they log online each day. One at a time, these people are stolen, mind and soul, into a world of magic and adventure that operates by the same laws as the game they worshiped at for years.

The Fifth Season: The Broken Earth, Book 1

This is the way the world ends. For the last time. A season of endings has begun. It starts with the great, red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal and long-dormant wounds rising up to fester. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the Earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant

Timid, socially awkward, and plagued by self-esteem issues, Fred has never been the adventurous sort. One fateful night - different from the night he died, which was more inconvenient than fateful - Fred reconnects with an old friend at his high school reunion. This rekindled relationship sets off a chain of events thrusting him right into the chaos of the parahuman world.

Beneath the Skin: The Sam Hunter Case Files

Sam Hunter is a bit of an animal. He's a former Twin Cities cop who lost his badge because of excessive force. Abusive husbands, child molesters, and other lowlifes wound up looking like they'd been mauled by a dog...or a wolf. Now Sam's a low-rent PI in Philadelphia. He takes the kinds of cases no one wants. His clients are usually on the fringes of society. The kind who are prey for all manner of predators - human and otherwise.

An Unattractive Vampire

After three centuries trapped underground, thousand-year-old Yulric Bile, also known as The Cursed One, The Devil's Apprentice, He Who Worships the Slumbering Horrors, awakens only to find that no one believes he is a vampire. Apparently he's just too ugly. Modern vampires, he soon discovers, are pretty, weak, and, most disturbing of all, good.

Monster Hunter International

Five days after Owen Zastava Pitt pushed his insufferable boss out of a 14th story window, he woke up in the hospital with a scarred face, an unbelievable memory, and a job offer. It turns out that monsters are real. All the things from myth, legend, and B-movies are out there, waiting in the shadows. Some of them are evil, and some are just hungry. Monster Hunter International is the premier eradication company in the business. And now Owen is their newest recruit.

The Jekyll Revelation

While on routine patrol in the tinder-dry Topanga Canyon, environmental scientist Rafael Salazar expects to find animal poachers, not a dilapidated antique steamer trunk. Inside the peculiar case, he discovers a journal, written by the renowned Robert Louis Stevenson, which divulges ominous particulars about his creation of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It also promises to reveal a terrible secret - the identity of Jack the Ripper.

Hell Divers: The Hell Divers Trilogy, Book 1

More than two centuries after World War III poisoned the planet, the final bastion of humanity lives on massive airships circling the globe in search of a habitable area to call home. Aging and outdated, most of the ships plummeted back to Earth long ago. The only thing keeping the two surviving lifeboats in the sky are Hell Divers - men and women who risk their lives by diving to the surface to scavenge for parts the ships desperately need.

Publisher's Summary

"I am often left to wonder why a zombie, walking around in the sun, smells better than a pooping dinosaur."

Two worlds collide in this action novelette. Zombies have destroyed civilization. Gasoline fuel is no longer an option, but humanity must find a way to survive. In response to trying to restore our way of life, we engineer franken-monsters. Because of their small brains and massive sizes, these beasts make quick work of farming and clearing land. These large creatures are immune to the zombie virus and perform excellently in loud conditions. They are easy to train. They behave like war horses, prone to help charge in and defend our livelihood.

In honor of the past, and to help build our future, we named these creatures dinosaurs.

The short story Pale Rider introduces us to Janus, the first Blue Brain or Zombie. At the end of civilization as we know it the remaining human survivors struggle to rebuild. Fuel and vehicles are no more so humans genetically engineer animals to be stronger and larger to help in farming, clearing, and transportation duties. These beasts are called dinosaurs. Plots of land must be cleared of zombies to become farms. Our protagonist Paul is known as The Pale Rider. This is the basis of the introduction to our new world. Three.point.five for the effort.

This was a fun and short book. I have read a few zombie books but this one was certainly different. I really like the world that was created by James Livingood involving dinosaurs and zombies. I never thought of the farming profession as a deadly and thankless job. I think I have a lot more respect for farmers due to this book (of course farmers in our world are not dealing with zombies and dinosaurs… lucky…).

I was driving through a very rural area with lots of farms at night while I was listening to this book (and a full moon too – not that it had anything to do with anything). Needless to say, I was quite creeped out. I kept expecting a “blue blood” zombie to pop out of the cornfields while riding a dinosaur! This book could certainly be made into a longer novel with more backstory and description of the dinosaur creation/riding.

I thought the narrator did a great job with breathing life into this story. His voice inflection varied along with the tone of the book and really made the book that much more exciting.

PALE RIDER: Zombies vs. Dinosaurs<br/><br/>Author: James Livingood<br/><br/>Type of Book: Audiobook Unabridged<br/><br/>Narrator: Michael C. Gwynne <br/><br/>Genre: Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Zombie Fiction<br/><br/>Length: 57 minutes<br/><br/>Release Date: April 1, 2015<br/><br/>Publisher: Paperbackward<br/><br/>Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐<br/><br/>* I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. <br/><br/>Zombies have destroyed civilization. People are struggling to find a way to survive now that gas supplies have been depleted. <br/><br/>Looking to create a source of powerful and cheap labour monsters are engineered. Dinosaurs seemed to be the perfect option. They are big. They are powerful, and their brains are small and best of all, they are immune to the zombie virus. <br/><br/>What could possibly go wrong?<br/><br/>I was not sure what to expect from this short audiobook. Zombies vs. Dinosaurs? I assumed it would be silly and a fun read. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the author actually made the scenario of both zombies and dinosaurs existing seem plausible. I was also pleasantly surprised by the storyline. It was interesting and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. <br/><br/>The description of how people were reclaiming farmland and the sub-culture of jobs stemming from that necessary process was well thought out and came across as believable.<br/><br/>All in all, PALE RIDER: ZOMBIES vs. DINOSAURS was an enjoyable audiobook.<br/><br/>The narrator had a very deep, manly voice. It was easy to picture that voice belonging to the lead character who was a man's man. The narrator also did a great job with the pacing of the story. He has a gift for using just the right amount of inflection in his voice at any given moment. <br/><br/>I rate this audiobook as 3.5 out of 5 stars.⭐⭐⭐

Where does Pale Rider rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pale Riders by James Livingood is a creative novella about zombies first in the world before dinosaurs, where zombies--"blues" rule and work in the world. Zombies meet dinosaurs and help the farming world continue along. Macho dude Pale Rider is the glue that keeps the process together. It's quite a funny and unique story.

If you’ve listened to books by James Livingood before, how does this one compare?

I have not listened to James Livingood or heard Mr. Gwynne's books before, but find both enjoyable and will read them again.

Would you consider the audio edition of Pale Rider to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version, but yes, the narrator is very good.

What did you like best about this story?

This story is very fresh. Its a mash up of modern and historical elements, but mostly the story knows what it is, and it stays true to its identity.

What does Michael C. Gwynne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He does a great job pacing his reading, and adding characterization to each of the players. I very much enjoyed the sort of grittiness he added to the narration. Very appropriate.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I think the author creates a bunch of moments throughout the story. I can't really give any of them away without revealing plot points. I'll say I liked how the ending closed the loop on the beginning. You'll know what I mean if you read it.

James Livingood brought together a quick story filled into this compact read. However, if you are looking as this being a stand-alone listen it does not! It will having you tweet or message Mr. Livingood to getting writing the next installment of Paul Palerider. Though it is also a story that you can sit and make your own thoughts of what the continuation maybe. Like a whodunit in the movie Clue with different endings.

His choice of Michael C. Gwynne was a strong choice of a voice that caught me in the beginning like a newspaper reporter and falling right into the character of Paul Palerider. He does change up his voice for the other bit characters in the 52 minutes that has you hanging on every word he captures.

I felt that this one story that will have you listening to it a second time as I started to do. Not that you don't get it because you want to get all the words of the story again since it such a short novella.

Some find that there are holes to fill - an extension of some scenes. But, left to the imagination we can fill in those spots that are left with such quick detail.

This audio book was provided by the author for an honest review and all comments above are solely mine and in no way influence by others. Please like if helpful or not. Leave me comments I love to hear from you!

The zombie virus was initially misdiagnosed. Of course it would be. Eventually, it spread and society as we know it collapsed. A new method of transport was needed, one that did not depend on petroleum products and was immune to the virus. Some scientists got together and gengineered large reptilian birds to transport humans and to be used as heavy equipment in farming and clearing land. Us humans couldn’t help but refer to them as dinosaurs.

I read the description to this novelette and smiled. How could I not give it a listen? The story starts off with a short lead in that sets the stage clearly for the reader. I liked how the zombies (also called ‘blues’ in this story) have a nervous system disorder caused by a virus. Then I thoroughly enjoyed how the dinosaurs came into being. If you have ever owned chickens, then you know they are not far removed from T-rexes. So it was not hard for me to imagine some gengineered featherless birds crossed with reptiles being raised to take out tree stumps.

Then we get into the story. Farming is pretty dangerous today, without zombies and with modern equipment. Imagine trying to clear a bit of farming land while watching out for and possibly fighting zombies. Yeah, pretty damn exciting. The story is told through a single point of view (a man, known as Pale Rider, who travels around the area clearing farm land) in a near nitty gritty way. I liked his skeptical attitude.

There are only 2 women mentioned in this book and neither have speaking roles. They are both wives and we only see one on stage, just once, to plant a sultry kiss. Obviously, I would have liked to see a real female character or two, with actions and dialogue pertinent to the plot. However, that’s my only complaint about this tale.

The mix of action and dinos and zombies had me alternating between a black humor chuckle and nibbling on my nails wondering if our hero had met his end. James Livingood is an author to keep an eye on and I really hope he continues to explore this world he has created.

The Narration: Michael Gwynne was a good fit for Pale Rider, giving him a hard-boiled feel. He had a range of voices for the few other characters we encounter.